Algersuari: Liam Lawson is not as bad as he seems

      Jaime Alguersuari, a former Formula 1 racer who once played for Toro Rosso and also went through the harsh school of the Red Bull youth program, sympathizes with Liam Lawson, who did not last long in the Milton Keynes team.

      After just the first two races, Red Bull Racing decided to replace the young New Zealander with Yuki Tsunoda starting from the Japanese Grand Prix, while Lawson will return to the "junior" team, Racing Bulls.

      "Liam is a rookie, he didn't know the car, he didn't know the team, he didn't know the tracks, so he needed to be given a little more time," Alguersuari told the official website of the championship. – In modern Formula 1, everything depends on the smallest nuances. If you don't warm up the rubber to the optimal operating temperature, you won't get the right grip and you'll immediately lose four or five tenths.

      If you look at the footage from the onboard cameras of Liam's car, taken in Australia and China, you can see that he had difficulties everywhere due to lack of grip. Although Liam is not as bad as it might seem from the outside.

      It was quite possible that he would have problems at the beginning of the season, and as the season progressed, he would gradually improve. It can't be that yesterday he was a hero, and after one or two races he suddenly became the worst of all.

      The season consists of 24 stages, and no one in this team can be faster than Max Verstappen. He's probably the best driver who's ever raced in Formula 1. With his amazing ability to pilot cars that are either understeer or oversteer, he is simply in another dimension. He surpasses everyone.

      There are many rumors that the Red Bull Racing car was built specifically for Max, although in fact the team is creating the car, only trying to make it as fast as possible. Max has an aggressive driving style, he likes it when the front wheels hold the track well, because these are the fastest cars.

      Definitely, no one wants a car to be characterized by understeer, because at the same time the speed inevitably decreases. Max knows perfectly well how to set up a car to match his driving style, but whoever you put behind the wheel of a second such car, this racer will have great difficulties.

      With such settings, no one will be able to drive like Max – everyone will have problems due to the fact that the clutch of the front wheels will be excessively high. But if you make its level a little lower, you will drive slower, as the manifestations of understeer will begin.

      It's not just about getting on the track and giving your best, but about understanding how to drive in order to show the best possible results. I think that's what's missing for the drivers who get behind the wheel of the second Red Bull Racing car.

      All of this brings back memories of my own past. After all, the psychological factor is very important in modern Formula 1. To recoup yourself after you get into such a situation, you need to increase your psychological fortitude, and for this you need to understand what your strengths are, and you also need a truly optimistic attitude. You have to be convinced that you were a good racer before.…

      I think Liam will need to act according to a new scenario now, he needs to achieve a comfortable driving experience again, he needs to work with the Racing Bulls engineers and the whole team to get back to a good level of pace and try to move forward step by step.

      If we talk about Yuki, then, in my opinion, he has nothing to lose. We can say that no one expects any outstanding results from him now. I remember that when he debuted in Formula 1, everyone had a lot of questions for him, but then he performed better and better. That's how it was with me when I got into Formula 1. Everyone was saying then: "It's not a racing school, he should have a lot more experience."

      Yuki has gradually progressed, and now he is quite a strong professional who knows how to get the most out of the car. He did a great job at the Abu Dhabi tests last year, but they didn't invite him to Red Bull Racing. But now the situation has changed, and if I were him, I wouldn't put myself under too much pressure.

      The Japanese Grand Prix is his home race, and he knows this circuit very well. He is very motivated and wants to succeed in a top team, so I sincerely believe that he will succeed.

      I'd be surprised if he goes much slower than Max. He will be behind Verstappen, but I don't think it will be more than 0.5-0.6 seconds. He's quite capable of handling the case better than Liam, even if I think Lawson was treated unfairly.

      Will Tsunoda be able to stay at Red Bull Racing for a long time? I don't know, it's always difficult to predict anything with this team. But I would say that at least he found himself in the most preferable situation compared to all the other riders in the Red Bull youth program..."